


Sana's Link

by MagiaRecordings



Category: Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama, Gen, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:06:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24610519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagiaRecordings/pseuds/MagiaRecordings
Summary: Sana suddenly finds she has the ability to 'hear' the online chatter of those around her. How will she cope?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	1. Prologue

I knew something was off.

Ever since Iroha and everyone were able to release me from the grip of a Rumour, everything about the real world felt… different. Whether it was the drastic change in scenery or feeling of wind on my face again, something always felt wrong. Perhaps a little buzz, my ears ringing - I could never put my finger on it. But today I could.

I was completely baffled to find myself able to ‘hear’ the chatter of others loud and clear - their emails, texts, all of it. Letting out a sigh as my confusion reached its peak, I found myself face to face with a concerned looking Iroha. “Sana, do you feel okay?” She asked, gently placing her hand on my forehead. “Y-yeah! I’m okay.” My reply didn’t sound genuine to even me, but it looked like she bought it. After a nod, she headed off to the couch where Felicia sat tapping away on her phone. 

I’m blessed, being able to be here with all of them. The common room of the group home was lavish, at least to me; a chandelier above me with freshly cleaned dishes out to dry, comfortable chairs, many an interesting art piece…. I could go on forever. But even then I couldn’t bring myself to tell them about my most recent problem. 

Felicia’s texts were as you’d expect them to be; poorly structured masses of nearly nonsensical nature. While I’ll probably never get used to hearing ‘c u l-eight-r’ aloud, it was more the contents of the texts that concern me. It’s as if she’s had a fight with someone, though who is beyond me. I’m worried about her but can’t really bring myself to do anything about it. I muddled deeper and deeper in thought, until one of her messages broke me from my trance.

“Oi. You’re no fun like this - just come over sometime! :’(”

“Dun wana! I told u the food isnt dat good! >:(“

I cringed from somehow being able to hear emoticons.

“Fine! Be that way >:(“

I couldn’t help but sink back into myself. Seemed like Tsuruno was the one she was talking to. Those two are always arguing, but I’ve never seen them actively pick fights online before; maybe because I couldn’t hear them. But nonetheless, the ear-grating conversation continued.

“I will b dat way n u wont care! u never do!”

“Fine!”

“Fine!”

-That seemed to be the end of their tirade. Felicia got up with a huff and proceeded off to her room, slamming the door behind her. Iroha looked up from her phone expectedly, raising a brow at the purple-one’s antics. “Er- I hope she’s okay.” She trailed off. I simply nodded assuredly. “I-it’s fine! I’m sure she just had a bad conversation online, or something.” I replied, trying to provide something to relax her. Iroha had always been helping others out, after all. 

She sighed. “Sana.” My name being called caused me to return a fixed, surely pitiful looking stare. “You should head to bed too, you know? It’s getting late.” She told me with a smile. Surely enough, a glance at the clock revealed it was already late into the night: eleven o’ clock. How long had I been thinking for? I nod, and follow along in heading to my room. Though I’m sure there will be no sleep for me, given the voices of their online world…


	2. Chapter 2

Sleep decided to give me a rest, it seemed. 

I found myself awakened by none other than Yachiyo. She held a concerned expression as I slowly sat up, looking me over. “Everything alright? Iroha told me you weren’t looking well.” She asked. I can’t say I expected her to tell Yachiyo about last night’s escapade, but it didn’t really strike me the wrong way. “Uh- Yeah, I’m alright. Just a bit under the weather, you know?” My response came in a surely drowsy tone, eliciting a sigh from the aqua-haired girl. “It’s well past noon. I get that you’re off today, but still.” She simply left it at that before returning to the usual smile she gave me. “Just make sure to take care of yourself, alright?”

Take care of myself I did. I started doing my daily morning routine, anything to get my mind off my recent problems. I was beginning to hope that I was just having a bad dream, running it over again and again in my head. Just how was I reading into their messages, anyway? Does this have anything to do with me being a magical girl, or is it something else? Just as I began looking for possible answers, I found myself once again being bombarded by someone’s text. 

“Iroha, could you bring back some lettuce when you’re out and about? I forgot to add it to the list.”

-Yachiyo’s, for sure. Those two were always in constant contact with each other, being they were close as they are. What struck me as odd was the lack of quick response from Iroha - she was always quick to jump the gun and get something back to her. Finished with my daily hygiene, I moved on back down to the common room.

I guess I should be planning my next course of action. Though, what exactly do I do in a situation like this? Telling any of the others about this might lead to a misunderstanding, being able to hear their private talks and all. Though going at it alone doesn’t seem particularly ideal either. I wracked my brain, still unable to find any quick solution to the issue. I guess I could always just igno-

“Sana?” My train of thought once again broken, I was face to face with Yachiyo. “You sure you’re okay? You’ve been looking really troubled lately.” She kept the same look of concern as before. “It’s just- something I’m worried about with being a magical girl.” I managed to get out. Yachiyo raised an eyebrow. “I won't pry, but…that kind of thing falls to Kyubey to explain. Usually.” Kyubey, huh? “He’s normally willing to answer you if you ask. Just make sure you’re direct.” Yachiyo provided. I guess she was the experienced magical girl, after all - why shouldn’t I go ask him?

I smiled back at my friend. “I’ll… give it a try, thanks!” With my purpose clear for the day, I started off towards the door; only to be stopped by an oddly fast Yachiyo. “-After lunch, Sana.” She chuckled slightly, causing my cheeks to grow warm. I went back to the kitchen and had a seat near the island, looking around for anyone else. Oddly enough, it was just us around at the moment - though Felicia is probably still asleep in bed. After a brief talk and a sandwich I could only describe as immaculate, I set off to find Kyubey in earnest. 

As per usual, the smaller fox-like thing was nowhere to be found in Kamihama. I’d had to trek a ways out to even detect a sign of him. It was really far off though; and before long I found myself in a completely different area. It looked more… modern? More modern than Kamihama, anyway. Large glass-laiden skyscrapers lined the horizon, many a simple home along the way to their base. I wandered around the less populated areas with a tight grip on my soul gem, trying to track Kyubey. Eventually I did find my target, but not in the way I would have hoped, With the city behind me, I wandered into a construction yard. Though all the workers probably had the day off, I detected another person around - a magical girl, at that. As they were close to where I could sense Kyubey, I figured that confrontation was inevitable and moved in. 

Between the displaced girders and freshly paved concrete, a pink-haired girl sat in a corner. Kyubey sat on her lap, peacefully asleep with that same cat-like expression plastered on his face. “Sana… Futaba Sana, right?” I jumped as she greeted me, heading towards the corner in which she sat. I recognized her, of course; Kaname Madoka, another magical girl. Though she wasn’t normally way out here. “Good to see you again, Kaname.” I followed suit with a smile, walking over to have a seat next to her and Kyubey. She was nice, at least to me.

“Why are you here? You’re from Kamihama, right?” She asked, returning a gentle smile to me. I raised my hands in defence. “I just came looking for Kyubey, honest! I couldn’t really find him over there.” Madoka nodded with a giggle. “It’s okay, I doubted you were here to take witches, Kamihama is full of them anyway.” Always revolves around witches, doesn’t it? Even for a girl as nice as her, we all needed them to survive. I let out a sigh of relief, and watched as she looked off into the sky. “I needed Kyubey to talk to him about something. A bit private, and all that.” She nodded, wistfully immersed in the sky above us. “I understand. Lots to go over after being freed from the Rumour, huh?”

We ended up chatting for a while. Madoka was as nice as people always said she was, even the brief accounts from Homura seemed to be true. As little as I knew about those two, they seemed close; clearly providing me with the composer of a new message that graced my ears. 

“Madoka, It’s getting late. Aren’t you going to come over soon?”

-Probably Homura, of course. Madoka was quick to check her phone and such, bowing in apology as she headed off to meet with her friend. I gave a polite nod in response and took Kyubey from her, seeing her off. “Ah-. Hello, Sana Futaba.” Kyubey’s voice caught my attention as I sat back down. “What can I do for you?” 

“I, uh, have a question.” I replied, gathering up the words. “Is it normal for magical girls to develop new abilities out of the blue?” Kyubey stoically stared back at me for a few moments before providing his answer, as if thinking. “Hmmm. Something like that has never happened before, as far as I know. Magical girls are usually given powers from their wish forward, and that’s it. I take it you’ve gained a new one?” I nodded. “Yeah. it’s… sorta like I can hear digital messages from people around me, or something.” There wasn’t any point in hiding things from Kyubey; not like he’d judge, right? The fox-like being once again pondered for a moment.

“And this extends to everyone and anyone, does it?” I nodded again. If I was hearing Madoka’s texts as well, I guess it was whoever was closest to me right? Not that I’ve heard the texts of strangers at all, but I’m never really close to them. “I’m sorry, Sana Futaba. But I don’t have any insight on what it is that caused this.”


	3. Chapter 3

My previous attempt at finding answers crushed, I had nothing else to do but trudge my way home. If both Kyubey and Yachiyo were stumped, who was I supposed to turn to? If I was back in the rumor, maybe Ai would have the answer for me. But I don’t have that luxury anymore. Heading inside, I was once again greeted by the same concerned expression on Yachiyo’s face. “No luck, I take it?” My face must’ve said it all. I shook my head, plopping myself down on the couch. The room remained an odd state of empty, once again just the two of us here. “Are Iroha and everyone not back yet?” I asked.

Yachiyo sighed. “No. I’m beginning to worry about them, too; no one has called to tell me they’ be late, or anything of the sort.” That was worrying news indeed. Iroha at least had always been punctual about being around for dinner and such. An awkward silence passed between us before I found the courage to speak up. “Should we… call her, or something?” Yachiyo checked her phone. “I trust her, but… if she doesn’t show up soon, we’ll call her.” She looked concerned, but as long as they weren’t alone they’d be fine… right? “What about the others? Tsuruno, even?”

Yachiyo humoured my concerns, thankfully. She took a good look over her contacts; Felicia, Tsuruno, Iroha again… no calls or messages sent at all. I’d know when a new one was sent, sure; but the following extra-long period of silence would only stoke my anxieties. Yachiyo too, it seemed. A minute turned into five, then ten, to twenty.... The sun had already begun to set before Yachiyo checked her phone for the final time. “Nothing.” She stopped hesitating right then and there, her transformation causing me to jump a little. Apparently she was going straight to tracking them down, calling ahead be darned. “Coming?” Her invitation surprised me, but I did follow suit. Clothing myself in a transformation of my own, I headed out with her to find Iroha and the others.

My magic made it easy to stay transformed in public, being as no one could see me. Casting a little veil of the same magic over Yachiyo was no real issue, either. Our tracking began in earnest once she caught trail of Iroha’s magic due north of our home, which we followed all the way to a place I knew well; the radio tower. Yachiyo stepped forward, soul gem extended in her hand. The place bustled with evening activity, but no one paid us any mind of course. “Here.” Yachiyo finally spoke with a grimace. It didn’t take me long to figure out why; a labyrinth was here. As if sensing my hesitation, she pulled me right in along with her. 

The labyrinth reeked of a witch’s energy. Mist covered most of my vision, and a wet sensation enveloped my entire body. It was like being knee-deep in a swamp with no way out, your breathing growing shallow because of whatever was in the air. Needless to say I was unnerved, and from the looks of it Yachiyo was too. “You sure it’s in here, right?” My voice quivered. Yachiyo nodded. “Positive. This way.” It looked as if she had to force herself forward, trudging through the mist towards Iroha’s soul gem. This wasn’t the labyrinth of your average witch.

I forced myself onward as well, just barely keeping up with the magical girl in front of me. If Iroha was in here, there was no way she could take whatever was controlling this place alone. What was odd was the absence of familiars, not so much as a small one showing up as we went through. But when we found our target, I knew there was no way any of us could take it out. It towered over us, whatever it was. Leaves and vines protruded from a mass of flailing weeds, the center of which could only be described as a mass of plants. It didn’t have eyes, but you could tell it had its focus directed squarely at one person: Iroha. She was the only one standing between the three there, with both Tsuruno and Felicia strewn across the ground in the swampy mess. 

Yachiyo was again first to spring into action, narrowly deflecting what would have been a lethal blow away from Iroha. The creature let out a guttural screech and went right after Yachiyo, leaving me to care for the three injured magical girls here. I leapt to Iroha’s side, pulling her back away from the path of the witch. “I-It drains your stamina.” Iroha managed to get out between shallow breaths. She was in rough shape, leaning on me for support. “The other t-two were exhausted by the witch, we’ve gotta go.” She looked like she was having trouble staying awake, let alone standing. I used telepathy to notify Yachiyo, and found her at my side moments later. That witch was a slow one, all things considered. 

Yachiyo studied the witch for a moment. “-Get Iroha out. I can handle the other two.” She spoke in a commanding voice. Not willing to argue, I did as instructed; propping Iroha up with my shoulder and nearly dragging her out of the labyrinth. The witch was taking its toll on me too, as my movements became yet more sluggish. Finding my way outside was no problem with Yachiyo distracting it, though once out I collapsed with Iroha next to me. We both sat there for a while, trying to catch our breath. Yachiyo did join us shortly after, slouched with the other two against a wall. We’d come out in a nearby alleyway, the chorus of panting the only noise available to us.

It was a while before anyone spoke, Yachiyo being the first. “What the hell was that?” She continued her shallow breathing, complete exhaustion evident on her face. Both Felicia and Tsuruno both seemed fine, despite the fact they were unconscious. “Iroha!” I found myself startled once again as Yachiyo went right over to Iroha’s side, finding her too to be unconscious.

Yachiyo brought Iroha’s soul gem to light, showing its luster to be only slightly diminished. With a sigh of relief, she once again sat against the wall. It was then I heard a flurry of messages, all clearly aimed at Yachiyo.

“Yachiyo! We sorta need help with a witch. We’re by the radio tower, come by soon!”

“Yachiyo, we sorta need help here fast.”

“Where are you Yachiyo?!”

What were clearly calls for help hadn’t reached Yachiyo’s phone, it seemed. That witch must’ve been blocking them. If we had moved any slower, this could’ve ended much worse for all of us.


	4. Chapter 4

Getting home wasn’t easy for either of us. Yachiyo was kind enough to take both Felicia and Tsuruno back home, leaving me to carry the much lighter Iroha. The three looked rather peaceful as we walked home, all things considered; that witch certainly wasn’t something to go at alone. We arrived at the group house in silence, carefully carrying the three of them to separate beds. It took me a bit to really get used to the idea of what happened. If a witch like that could exhaust even Yachiyo, were there any stronger ones out there? Was it even a witch? A Rumour, even? Muddled thoughts filled my mind until they were broken by a text message.

“Momoko, make sure to keep Kaede and Rena away from the radio tower. There’s an extremely powerful witch lying in wait - do not attempt to fight it. If you could spread the word to the Coordinator, I’d be thankful.”

Yachiyo really was taking it seriously, then. It was rare of the two to exchange texts, though Momoko didn’t respond right away. I’d holed myself up in my room after the incident, leaving just Yachiyo to care for the three of them. I felt rather bad leaving her to do all the work, but I honestly couldn’t bring myself to talk to anyone right now. There was far too much going on for me. I slowly found myself dozing off in bed with these thoughts on my mind. If it hadn’t been for the new home I lived in, I surely would have cried myself to sleep that night.

Stress aside, I was pleased to find that sleep would bless me with another night of peaceful rest. It did wonders to find myself up early in the morning, the lack of dinner the previous night not even crossing my mind. Quick to my feet, I headed downstairs in my pajamas to check on the three unconscious girls, only to find a rather populated common room on my way down. Both Felicia and Tsuruno sat on the couch, wistfully engaged in whatever phone game Felicia had open at the time. Yachiyo was, of course, preparing breakfast; pancakes at that. I headed back over to one of the vacant chairs and took my place, snagging a cup of orange juice Yachiyo had kindly put in my mug along the way.

“Oh, hey Sana.” Felicia spoke, looking up from her phone for a moment.”I owe ya’ for helping get us outta there, that witch was something.” This elicited a nod from Tsuruno, and a distant smile from the cooking Yachiyo. “Mmm hmm! We woulda been goners back there. Thanks again Sana.” Tsuruno was next to speak, making a heat rise to my cheeks. “I-I didn’t really do much, Yachiyo did most of the saving.” I replied. “Wha? No you didn’t! Yachiyo told us you blocked everything it threw at you! That shield isn’t just for show, eh?” Felicia chimed in, Yachiyo giving a sly grin from across the room. Really Yachiyo, did you have to…?

  
  
  
  


“What about Iroha?” I finally addressed the elephant in the room, causing the three of them to lose their smiles. “She’s… not up yet.” Yachiyo spoke first, calmly bringing a plate of pancakes for each of us. “She’s not doing well, either. Her soul gem is starting to darken, and I’m completely lost as to why….” She trailed off. I couldn’t help but frown at that; something was up about that witch. It was becoming more and more likely that it was a Rumour, or even something else entirely. “She’s gonna be okay, right?” I asked. “...I don’t know. She wouldn’t wake up no matter how much we tried, but the darkening of her soul gem is quite slow. We’ve got a while to figure this out.” Said Yachiyo.

I was about to speak up on that, but she cut me off before I had a chance to. “-Best not worry on it, Sana. Like I said, we have time to figure this out.” I provided a nod in response, though I’m sure I looked more than a little shaken. “Eat, Sana. Don’t let it scare you that much.” My mind returned to the thought of warm pancakes, of which Felicia had already eaten more than half of her portion. Fearing for the safety of my food, I too began to eat the pancakes in earnest.

Breakfast passed without much else happening; and as such, it was time for us to return to the labyrinth of that witch. Apparently Momoko had responded to Yachiyo’s message, and agreed to come along and help take down that thing. Coming with her were both Rena and Kaede, hopefully to support the group.They were briefed on what the witch could do, and taking Kaede was in contention; until Momoko suggested she might be able to quell the plant-menace with her magic. With our team assembled and ready outside, we prepared to head into the same labyrinth. But not before….

“Haven’t you heard? Has anyone told you? The latest rumour in Kamihama city!”

“They say if you go to the radio tower on a whim, your friends will be ever concerned about you! But be careful; one of them must be left behind!”

“It’s the latest news from Kamihama city!”


	5. Chapter 5

It was one of the ‘Rumours’, it seemed. The Wings of The Magius had once again done us in, Iroha more than the rest. This was becoming unacceptable; that they’d want to hurt Iroha, of all people? Why her? I wouldn’t be running off into the labyrinth alone of course, but I couldn’t help being angry enough to try and kill the Uwasa myself. I must’ve looked troubled, as Yachiyo placed her hand on my shoulder. “Just wait. She’ll be fine.” Yachiyo told me, though she looked rather concerned herself. The labyrinth once again sat before us.

We all entered again in unison, resuming our trek through the misty bog. Momoko and her group experienced the same stamina draining effect we did; this wasn’t going to be easy. Yachiyo took the lead of the group once again, wading us through the difficult waters. We couldn’t help but worry about this place, Kaede especially. She would be first to fall if worst came to worst. After a while, we once again found our quarry. It looked… significantly meaner this time. Thorns sprouted from where clean vines used to be, and a fresh pink aura enveloped the center of the creature.

Iroha’s Magic.

The Rumour was storing the magic taken from Iroha, and storing it here. Why? Before I had time to point out the discrepancy, Yachiyo called out to the group. “Go!” The rest of the party fanned out around the monster, each keen to keep a certain distance away from each other; as we’d planned. The idea was to flank the creature with as many of us as possible, while another drew its attention away. Yachiyo was first to land a hit on the creature’s ‘back’, with a loud thud marking the first of the limbs to fall from the thistle. Battle jitters soon washed over me as I realized that I too had a role to play, despite the rush getting here. I looked about for the Rumour’s target, and found it squarely focused on Momoko. 

“CLANG!”

The sound of the vines colliding with my shield echoed across the witch’s labyrinth, the fight beginning in full force. “Whoa- thanks Sana!” Momoko remarked before heading right back into the fray. I kept up my momentum, slamming down my shield wherever I could get a block in. Switch to Kaede, then to Yachiyo, then to Momoko again; my normal hesitance was completely gone, and I could only focus on the heat of the moment. No one else had to get hurt!

My battle gusto was quick to fade, however. The same was true with the rest of the group; our movements were getting slow. But so were the Rumours. We fought on as long as we could, slashing off limb after limb of the creature. Although all of this would cease in an instant, marking the arrival of a certain new face.

“Back again destroying rumours, hmm? How brutta.” The green haired one spoke. Alina had arrived alone, staring down upon us with contempt. All of us locked eyes with the girl as she stepped towards us from the concealing mist. “You know, this is one of our greatest. I’m surprised you all were able to last this long!” Her voice dripped with a sadistic tone, sending a shudder down my spine. “What do you want with Iroha?” Yachiyo was the first to speak up. “What did you do to her?”

Alina’s first response was a chorus of horrible laughter. “Isn’t it obvious? We wanted to collect her energy for the greater good! Surely that’s something you can get behind, no?” She stood with her signature cube in hand, twirling it about. “You can’t seriously expect to get away with this, right?” Yachiyo spoke again. “My dear, I already have.” Alina was right; most of us were bordering on exhaustion by this point. This place was pushing us to our limits. But none of us faltered, turning to face the new threat in front of us. “Oh, that’s rich!” Alina giggled, this time turning to face me directly.

“And here I thought you’d recognize your dear AI.”

Her comment filled me with shock. I looked back upon the creature before me. “You’re lying.” I choked up slightly. “You didn’t do this to her. AI’s dead!” Alina’s sadistic smile only widened. “Ah, but we did! See, AI never really died of course; she just got awful close! Losing her would be no good at all. So we took what was left of her, and stitched this masterpiece together, isn’t it beautiful?” She cackled once again, eliciting a roar from the mass of vines. I couldn’t believe this; there was no way that thing was AI.

“I hope you enjoy the little creature here! Oh, but just to make sure you don’t take it out…” Alina trailed off, expunging a decent bit of her own magic. ‘AI’ roared as if in pain, growing most if not all of her hacked off limbs back. It was at full strength again, with not but a scratch to show for it. Before I could strike at Alina in retaliation, she’d poofed; turning into nothing more than a tuft of mist in the labyrinth. 

We were now stuck against a foe we couldn’t possibly defeat ourselves. Alina’s sudden appearance and disappearance had left us at a loss, panting in our rapidly deteriorating condition. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to fight anymore; was this really AI?


	6. Chapter 6

Things weren’t looking good. We continued our fight as we had before, flanking the Rumour and defending its target. But the writing was on the wall; we wouldn’t last like this. On top of the already horrible situation, we couldn’t sense the exit anymore. It was the Rumour, or us. Strike after strike upon my shield had worn me down. My arms were beginning to lose feeling after every block. After yet another defense of Kaede, Yachiyo took me aside from the fight for a moment.

“Sana, wait.” Yachiyo was panting heavily, making sure Momoko knew to take my place in defense. “If what Alina said was true, you need to talk to AI.” I blinked. I was already scared stiff of the Rumour, and now she wanted me to talk to it? Yachiyo clearly read me, her breathing still a ragged mess. “Just try, Sana.” She left me with those words and got back into the fight.

Perhaps she was right. “Uh- AI!” I called out to try and reach her, drawing the attention of the thorny mass. “AI, please calm down!” I couldn’t really muster much else, but the beast didn’t seem to care; it brought the full force of its swing down upon my shield before I could speak again. I didn’t falter. “AI! You said I should make friends in the real world, right? I have them!” The being hesitated, but struck against me again. “T-They’re here, AI! Right here with me!” What I was saying was true from the heart, and I kept going. “So please remember what you told me!” ‘AI’ stopped in place, Iroha’s magical energy beginning to fade from around it. But just as it began to dwindle she let out yet another guttural roar, the pink energy returning again.

Seeing as AI had some sort of control over what she became made me know I had to put her to rest; properly, this time. The others caught on to this as well, as I dropped my shield to approach the pained creature. “Calm down now AI, it’s almost over.” AI made no move against me within her thrashings, instead leaving them for the others to parry. She was struggling and in pain, the Magius having corrupted the wonderful person I’d met before. Soon enough I found my way inside the mass of vines, entering into its center.

The inside of the Rumour was completely serene, as if in the eye of a storm. In the middle of the vibrant greens and yellows of the flowering vine chamber, sat AI; just as I had remembered her. She was clearly tired and broken, with a sad expression frozen on her face. I nearly hesitated as I walked in there, but knew what had to be done. Despite the obvious danger, I went right up there and hugged her.

“AI, just relax okay? It’ll be over soon.” I said. AI meekly nodded in her broken form, causing me to nearly break down as well. “Properly, this time.” I thought to myself, bringing a large amount of magic to the forefront of my mind. Ever so gently, I pressed a palm into AI’s chest; the magic began to take its course. She began to truly disappear in front of my eyes, countless magic energy being expelled into the air around us as the labyrinth began to lose shape. It felt like hours in which she remained in my embrace, before the real world returned around me. 

We’d won, losing AI once again.

Just before the others appeared around me however, I noted that I could only hear but one text, and it wasn’t for any of them.

“Thank you, Sana. For everything.”

-It was AI. Her gift to me, and with it herself, faded into nothing. I was now finally free from the Rumour of The Anonymous AI, and truly without a friend. I guess I must’ve always known it was AI that’d given me the new power, perhaps her siren song to come back and help her. Whatever it was, I was thankful I’d had it.

Everyone else had their celebrations upon leaving the labyrinth before parting ways, each of us heading home. Iroha was found to be awake once we made it, safely recovered from her affliction with AI. I’ll always miss her, but it’s more important I keep moving forward the way she wanted; with friends. And those I most certainly have, with them around.


End file.
